Explaining the Defense of Japan white paper’s “new ways of warfare”

The government’s latest Defense of Japan white paper identifies “new ways of warfare” as its central focus, against a backdrop of new military technologies emerging worldwide and neighboring countries building up their military capabilities, as well as recognition that Japan’s Self-Defense Forces have been slow to adopt advanced technologies and face increasingly serious manpower shortages. The article outlines the specific nature of these new ways of warfare and the challenges facing Japan. Through interviews with experts in defense technology and strategy, it presents an overview of efforts to strengthen defense capabilities centered on the use of AI, drones and electromagnetic waves.

Through diagrams and explanations, it sets out a policy to integrate domestically developed AI into the command structure of the Self-Defense Forces, linking information gathering and analysis to faster decision-making. It also refers to specific examples of leading domestic technologies, including Sakana AI. At the same time, it identifies challenges such as excluding Chinese-made products and discusses efforts to raise defense capabilities through domestic technologies.

Within the framework of the latest Defense of Japan white paper, the article also touches on policy directions including strengthening the defense posture centered on active cyber defense and promoting the provision of sovereign cloud and sovereign AI services. These policies are described as taking into account both practical research and operations in the field.

Overall, the article presents “new ways of warfare” using emerging technologies such as AI, drones and electromagnetic waves as a central theme of Japan’s defense capabilities. It reports that efforts are being made to build systems capable of sophisticated information processing and rapid decision-making.